


The Fallen Paladin

by ChampionShirogane



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fantasy AU, M/M, SHEITH - Freeform, the fallen paladin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-08 21:26:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7774342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChampionShirogane/pseuds/ChampionShirogane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When legendary Paladin, Shirogane Takashi goes AWOL the realm are quick to consider him a traitor and revoke his status. Keith whom is not content with this turn of events heads out to seek answers and his lost Lord.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fallen Paladin

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry the chapter is a little shorter than usual, i just wanted to get the ball rolling. I'm going to start adding the other charatcter soon, though tbh I'm looking forward to adding in elven archer Lance. I'm so hyped to get to write this. 
> 
> Andd heres a little art i did to accompany this AU http://biblicacelestia.tumblr.com/post/148853848525/the-fallen-paladin-and-his-squire-im-a-sucker

Wisps of mist coiled around gnarled roots and tall grass as dawn was about to break, the crisp morning air burning Keith's lungs as he followed the trail of carnage, which led to what was once a village once more he had been too late. Every fibre of his being yearning to find his missing Lord, though it was true that he was now a full fledged knight by this point he had sworn fealty to a paladin known as 'Shirogane of the Lion's roar' though the young knight had simply known the man as 'Shiro'. The legendary paladin had certainly lived up to the praise he'd received yet he was as kind as he was authoritative, it was hard not to feel inspired by somebody like that. Most likely that was why it had hit him pretty hard when he'd gone AWOL, for a sworn paladin it was unheard of and ultimately the biggest blight on his reputation.  
“Like I care about that” Keith hissed under his breath as he started to overturn some large pieces of rubble for any survivors, or even signs of his Lord. However he was not about to hold his breath every village he'd arrived at was empty and devoid of people, the only thing he knew was that Shiro had randomly began to show up when the Galra horde attacked. The knight's palms were beginning to grow sore with cold and friction and after and hour of overturning anywhere he'd expect signs of life his fingertips had started to bleed. 

After a wasted morning in the unpopulated smouldering village Keith perched himself on the edge of the broken fountain as he gazed around at his surroundings properly for the first time, taking in the shattered remains of some of the architecture. It was a pity, this town was rumoured to have been beautiful with it's rustic beamed houses and exquisite stone work, the fountain was once the towns pride as it was adorned with intricately carved sculptures. 

“Where are you?” he mused as though asking the wraith like smoke and dust as the wind passed through, of course there was no reply, there never was and now he was back to square one. He scowled bitterly as he took a mouthful of jerky , the meat stiff and unforgiving as he chewed, trust him to pick a food item that was as stubborn as he was. Common sense suggested that he remained in the Capital, continued his training as a Knight in hopes of one day becoming a paladin whilst working under a new Lord. The problem was that he had grown to trust and somewhat admire Shiro, being the type to distrust others easily Keith wondered if he'd fare so well working under someone else. 

He remembered that day his master had gone missing, he'd been out hunting their breakfast when one of the lower ranking squires had chased him down all red faced and panting as he recited the news that the great 'Shirogane of the Lion's Roar' had abandoned his duty to the state. He could remember his body growing cold as it sank in, there had been no way that Shiro would forsake his duty to the realm so lightly, there was just something that hadn't sat right.  
That night thoughts of Shiro had consumed him as he broke into his study and pilfered many documents and journals which may have gleaned any information leading up to the paladin's disappearance, he couldn't bear another hour of everyone so readily giving up on him, or already slandering his good name. Anger had welled up within him as he realised how fickle and readily everyone had chosen to lose faith in the man that had fought and bled for them. It was the least Keith could do to repay his masters kindness, there wasn't many that would take in one with no reputable family name, for some reason young lord had seen something in him the day they had met and since then Keith had been a common sight around the Shirogane household after that, often sparring, training him up so that just maybe he'd have the chance to do something great. 

All his achievements to date would feel empty if he couldn't succeed, he needed to bring Shiro back home, or at least put an end to the ceaseless rumours about him siding with the enemy. Every inn on his travels there were whispers of the 'Fallen Paladin' often resulting in Keith taking a swing at the nay sayers. 

Finally deciding that he'd hit one more dead end he decided to journey back to the lodging's he'd rented out, sadly that was a two day ride away and he'd most likely have to set up camp on the moors again.  
/Great.../ In truth he just wanted to spend time in an actual bed again, he was exhausted and the cold dirt floors didn't offer up the most peaceful of sleep. 

With a slight grunt he hoisted himself up onto his horse, a blue roan courser called Eres, she was a temperamental beast with long legs and a good bit of muscle making her both strong and fast. She'd originally been intended for one with a more noble background, however said noble couldn't handle her stubborn nature. As a joke they'd challenged Keith to see if he could ride her, of course they had just wanted to see the low-born orphan injure himself- And he did. For over a week he had tried to earn her trust and failed, his body growing more purple with bruises until one day she she just strode over to him. The rest was history, Keith got a high quality horse and the so-called nobles got jilted out of the expensive animal. All in all that day had been a good one for him. And now, Eres accompanied to as many desolate villages without complaint, and right now was no different as they both made their way back. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Several hours had finally passed and Keith was slowly feeling fatigue set in,he was also feeling more than a little saddle sore as he gently tugged on the reins suggestion to his four legged companion that he wanted to get off. Eres seemed to appreciate that after carrying about the fairly heavily armoured male, naturally she had been bred to be able to carry such a burden but nothing quite beat a little freedom.  
Sadly he hadn't quite made it to the moors as the sun was beginning to go down and it wasn't wise to remain on an open path for too long seeing as not only were bandits an issue, but technically he, like Shiro was a bit of a fugitive by this point. It wasn't so much that he'd abandoned his position in the cavalry, rather that he did happen to swipe a bunch of sensitive documents from his lords room. 

“This way.” He urged the courser off the road and into the dense woodland that edged it, to the east there was a stream so as long as he kept parallel with that than he'd find his way back with very little problem. Now all he had to do was find somewhere to set up camp. And by 'set up camp' he meant start a fire, try make the ground comfortable and if the weather looks bad use the waxed hempen cloth over a branch as a make shift tent.  
It wasn't long until he found a small clearing with sufficient grass to offer him padding for when he finally decided to sleep and enough to also feed the large mare- all 15 hands of her. The stream was a mere 20 ft from their position so Eres could finally quench her thirst after such a long trek in the hot sun and maybe he could risk having a quick wash, after all he probably smelled pretty grim by that point. 

The young knight unfastened his armour and placed it next to a burned out tree stump before shedding all but his small-clothes as he slowly waded into the river, the cold water felt pretty good on his skin as he wiped the dirt and sweat from his lean frame. Every so often he'd cast a watchful gaze over to his steed who was now lazily swatting flies with her tail perfectly happy to not be walking another step.  
Satisfied that they were safe, he began to paddle about, maybe he'd snag a fish or two in the clear water. However it wasn't fish he'd eventually find, but at the edge of the river there was something shiny between the rocks, at first he'd just assumed that a bandit may have dropped their spoils. Slowly he crouched down and examined the trinket which was a little caked in mud but nothing that couldn't be dealt with after food. 

Three hours later Keith was sat by his camp fire as he finished up the last of the gathered fish, the bounty from the river now making him feel satisfied and a little sleepy as he remembered the metal item he'd found.  
He quickly spat on an old rag and used it to clean up whatever it was. After a few moments getting rid of the worst of the dirt and grime the details became a lot clearer, and though it was a silver ring, what most intrigued him were the markings. He'd seen them before, back when he was working as a squire for House Shirogane. His eyes widened as he finally recognised the sigil of the family that he'd served. This was Shiro's ring. 

Upon finding a thick branch Keith used it as a make shift torch as he bolted for the river, there had to be more clues, something he'd overlooked. Desperately he waded fully clothed into the stream, frantically shining the flame in any nook and cranny he could, every so often spooking some small river voles in the process.  
He'd been at it for over an hour when he, in his haste had stumbled over what he'd assumed was a log, yet when it made an low grunting sound Keith's heart leaped up into his throat. Dead bits of wood generally did not tend to make noises when stepped on.  
Once the initial shock had worn off Keith finally edged a little closer, the flickering flame making it a little difficult to discern any obvious details. It was definitely human, and despite being caked in mud and laying on their front it was pretty safe to assume that this person was a man. From what he could see was that he was tall and powerfully built, beneath the mud he could see a tuft of white hair... Was he an older gentleman? 

Even though he could not see the unconscious persons face he couldn't shake the notion that this person was familiar, or rather he was a little scared of if the man turned out to be exactly who he suspected him of being. 

Despite knowing that moving an injured or unconscious person was ill advised Keith just had to turn him over, a mouthful of dirt was not helping the man anyway and he just had to know. 

Gently he eased the man onto his back, his face still obscured by muck and dead leaves leaving Keith little choice but to carefully wipe it away. 

“Shiro?” He gasped as he was staring down at his lord, all this time he'd been searching only to finally find him in some gods forsaken forest because of an impromptu detour, the odds of finding him was nothing short of a miracle, but here they were... In the middle of the night... In a forest. 

One thing was for certain was that between his injuries and the fact his breathing was dangerously weak, Shiro was in no fit state to go anywhere yet, or not until he regained consciousness. 

One thing that Keith had almost forgotten was the sheer size of his friend and master, or rather he never appreciated it until just now when he had to pretty much drag his body over to where he'd set up camp, the first thing he had on his mind was getting Shiro warm by the fire. Not a perfect set up but it was all he had to work with right now, ideally he'd love to get to an inn as soon as he could but that right now was out of the question. The young knight spent the next few minutes creating a makeshift pillow out of a bundle of his clothes ensuring that the paladin's airways wasn't blocked or obscured before rummaging for his flask of water and taking a deep swig. 

A thousand and one questions rattled around in Keith's head, there was so much he wanted to ask in regards to his disappearance, the attacks on the villages and what in the seven hells he was doing covered in mud by a river in the middle of nowhere. 

Eres was slowly wandering freely about the 'camp' every so often casting a curious gaze to Shiro before growing bored of him in favour of more grass, in reality the equestrian was the only being moving or making a sound.  
It was just too quiet and Keith was growing increasingly uneasy with each passing second, he was still debating whether to load Shiro up onto Eres' back and risk getting him to the inn, if they moved now perhaps they could make it before sunrise. Given that his lord was a wanted man, the less witnesses the better. Still he'd give anything for a wandering apothecary to walk by, then maybe he'd be able to at least get something for Shiro's injuries. 

Keith's reverie was broken as the large male began to murmur gibberish in his sleep, his eyebrows furrowing with effort as he called out for it to 'stop' or he'd revert to pained moans as he thrashed around on the grass. It was clear Shiro was having a bad dream but no doubt it felt real enough for him to practically be throwing a fit as he flailed in fear. 

“It's okay... I got you...” Keith's voice was gentle as he carefully shuffled in a little closer with out getting hit by the other's powerful arms. He reached out a tentative hand ready to stroke the other's forehead before wondering if touching him was a great idea. He was never really the 'touchy-feely' type but he remembered how Shiro used to rest a palm on his shoulder and how at ease with the world it made him, perhaps the same would work on his lord. His fingertips hovered over the clammy skin for a little longer before finally stroking Shiro's hair which now had a shock of white on his forelock; that hadn't been there before. The last time they had seen each other the paladin's hair was as black as the night sky all over, so for it to have such a change in that small amount of time Shiro would have had to have gone through a lot. 

/What happened to you?/ He mused as he continued to pet the other males hair slowly, his frenzied movements slowing down and his fearful cries dies down to a soft moaning. 

“You're fine, I found you.” He repeated softly like a mantra, Shiro's face seeming slightly peaceful as though he'd recognised the voice if not the words themselves. The tension melted from the paladins face and his breathing became a little more regular as he slowly began to open his eyes. 

“Keith?” Shiro croaked weakly as he lifted his heavily bandaged hand up to feel the younger males face, a weak smile ghosted over his gaunt features. Never before had he been so glad to see the man that had once been his squire. “What... are you doing here?” 

“There's plenty of time for that Milord.” The young knight stated firmly as he carefully began to cradle Shiro's head in his lap, the flask poised over the others lips. “but for now you need to save your strength.” 

“I can't believe you still call me... that.” A hollow laugh escaped Shiro's lips, as tears rolled down his cheeks. After everything that had happened , Keith, fiercely loyal Keith still revered him in some way still. “I don't deserve...”

“Shhh, drink up. There'll be plenty of time to catch up in the morning.”


End file.
